Naked children in mixed changing rooms-am I pearl clutching?

[AutisticLegoLover]

Ds is 8 and goes to swimming lessons at a local pool. It's mixed changing. Just lately there's always been children aged around 5 showering naked after their swim. It's an open shower area with no cubicles. So when you walk in they are there in your line of vision. The changing room is full of all ages from babies to the elderly. Ds commented today that he doesn't want to see naked people. Surely it's inappropriate to be showering your dc naked in a mixed setting? Or am I clutching?

It’s funny on these threads that the precious children are always distraught by the same (utterly inoffensive) things that the pearl-clutching mother is offended by. It’s almost as if they’re only upset because the OP is…

I would not be happy about this either. If children are naked and visible to all the other people at the swimming pool, it's open to abuse. If it was a women's only shower I'd be ok with that. And please no one bother telling me women can also be abusers. They are rare as hens teeth. Ds9 goes into the women's changing room with me and uses a cubicle.

I seriously can't believe people are saying an adult male can be in a public shower area with a naked 5 year old girl, and think it's appropriate 🤷🏻‍♀️

Erm , I'm not @MasterBeth 🙄 I'm saying that was there purpose, to speed things up & not get people hanging around
Are you ok ? You appear to be fixated

Yabu.
People get really silly about this.

I have spent a lot of time in Scandinavian countries and they have a much more pragmatic approach.

There are many places in Europe where all swimming pool users are expected to shower naked and where it is felt unhygienic not to be naked.

Here in UK, out local pool has a "shower only" entry rate. It may be the only place that someone is able to shower. When small, my dad had a house without a bath or shower and we would go to the swimming pool for showers.

I understand the concerns that some parents have, but it makes me wonder what the effect will be on children being this guarded at such a young age when they are adults. I would never think there was anything wrong with a 5 year old being naked in a swimming changing room

But you don't need to be naked to shower at the swimming pool

He's probably also embarrassed and awkward because of OP, and her projecting her anxiety

Exactly this

I would have said they are only young kids and what’s the harm a few months ago until I started taking my kids to swimming classes at the local leisure centre and there was an old Caucasian man who looked in his 60’s constantly walking through the open shower area gawping at the kids- lingering around stopping to look at them, and in and out of the changing rooms yet never with a child or seemingly have just come out from a swim himself. I mentioned it to my husband but put it down to just being strange and who knows he may have had a grandchild with him who he was waiting for. I saw him the week after too, same behaviour. Then a month later the leisure centre sent us a warning about someone perving on the kids around the swimming changing areas and the local paper reported on it too. I spoke to the girls at reception and it was the same man I’d seen. Scared me and since then I just get mine changed in a cubicle and shower them at home! Terrible times (Bucks)

Are the swimming pools exclusively used by the school at this time or are public using them at the same time?

it would bother me Op, it’d be a huge trigger for me. I completely understand

Yes, that's what your claiming. But lots of people on this thread seem to be disagreeing with you and I've not seen signs in my local pools, gyms or leisure centres to say "this shower is strictly for cleaning off chlorine" so it sounds like some bollocks that you've self-importantly made up.

@thirdtimeluckyorwhat no need to be so rude! I am extremely experienced with safeguarding and my partner is a senior probation officer working with sex offenders. You don't work in safeguarding you have no clue.

You absolutely are if you are talking about five year-olds, little children.

Is this a religious thing?

Why would people shower DC’s naked when any weirdo could be in the changing rooms. And any camera can be tiny.

It’s not about being offended by the DC’s it’s about being aware of safeguarding in a f*cked up society where images of children are widely shared online.

Your DC has good instincts not to like it, the children shouldn’t be naked.

And btw I agree it’s rubbish and sad but it’s the world we live in.

It sounds like you need teaching on neurodiversity.
You're disgusting.
Jog on.

Western culture has the biggest issue with naked kids- it seems after birth children should never be seen naked ever again by anyone other than family for fear that you'll either offend or be the delight of roving peadophiles. If he doesn't want to see- tell him not to look.

I don't get Mumsnet sometimes.I actually cannot get my head round some posters thinking that it's fine for 8 year olds to be naked around total strangers.in fact I don't even believe half of the posters who are saying that it's fine really feel that way.to admit that it makes you feel uneasy makes you some sort of anxiety riddled overprotective parent who is transferring their anxieties into their children .what a load of self righteous crap.
I have no reservations about nakedness within a family setting,like home .
But to allow your child's naked body to be on full view to other children and adults is just bizarre.
But hey,let's criticise the parents who are sensibly protecting their children,And call them pearl clutchers. and let's pretend that peodaphiles don't really hang around places that children frequent.and that nobody could possibly be getting a sexual kick out of watching naked 8 year olds . Ffs who needs to look on computers for their sick kicks when they can get it served up on aplate at the local pool .

Pearl clutching .

This is a very British thing . Quite normal in many European countries .

At our pool once you get to 8 you have to change in the correct changing room. Your DS should be in the men’s.

I agree with you, OP. I’m a bit uncomfortable seeing them and wouldn’t have let mine be naked anywhere in public apart from a medical setting (baby checks etc).

It’s a mixed changing room. Same at our pool. Showers by the pool and then cubicles for getting changed. Single and family. But DS has no men’s changing room to go to just presumably another cubicle… and the showers aren’t segregated at all.